Anybody overlooking the vital role Tryone Tracy Jr. can still play for the New York Giants in a backfield set to be led by Cam Skattebo should consider what the arrival of new offensive coordinator Matt Nagy means for an “underutilized” part of Tracy’s skill-set.
Former Kansas City Chiefs OC Nagy can change the playbook to favor Tracy, according to Giants’ all-time leading rusher Tiki Barber. He responded to John Schmeelk of the “Giants Huddle” podcast for Giants.com detailing Nagy’s time with Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid, who has long deployed “one of the best screen game packages in football,” dating back to his days in charge of Big Blue’s NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles.
Barber explained how the screen pass “was one of the more underutilized things for the Giants over the last couple of years. We have good screen players like Tyrone Tracy is so elusive and slippery and space. Using him in a screen game because he’s got great hands, obviously, I think is one of the underutilized things from the last couple of years with him, and you know that’s going to come back because Matt Nagy has proven he can do that or, as a play designerish, I don’t know if he he didn’t call the plays there, but as a play designer I think he’s got every intangible that you need to make the screen game so important, and I mean Giant fans scream for it all the time, ‘screen now!’ I think we’ll see it and I can’t wait for it.”
What Barber has described is a way for Tracy to play a bigger role than expected, and how the Giants can keep a productive, dual-threat playmaker on the field in a new-look offense.
Tyrone Tracy Jr. Vital for Missing Screen Game
Tracy is a natural fit to make the screen game a staple of Nagy’s offense. He’s a converted wide receiver who’s already displayed breakout talent as a dynamic contributor, both on the ground and through the air, topping 1,000 all-purpose yards in each of his two seasons in the pros.
GettyTracy has untapped potential as a receiving threat.
The third-year back is also somebody who wasn’t always happy with the play-calling of Nagy’s predecessor Mike Kafka. Tracy should warm to how Nagy does things, after the latter helped Chiefs running backs like Isiah Pacheco snag 88 receptions the last four seasons, while Kareem Hunt made 41 catches after rejoining the team two years ago.
Nagy might not have called every play under Reid, but his experience as head coach of the Chicago Bears was also friendly to running backs. On Nagy’s watch, Tarik Cohen caught 150 passes from 195 targets across the 2018 and ’19 campaigns.
Tracy may not match those numbers, but Nagy won’t minimize the receiving threat of a 5-foot-11, 210-pounder who can make plays like this touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys from last season.
This was more than a screen, but second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart’s connection with Tracy can play a pivotal role in the young signal-caller’s development.
Giants Need More Screen Passes
The advantages of Dart throwing more screen passes are obvious. Those plays are essentially long handoffs, a quick and easy way for a QB to get the ball out his hands and pad his stats with high-percentage completions designed to accumulate yards after the catch.
Dart needs those plays to help refine his accuracy and improve decision-making. Both things will be easier when using screens as an extension of the running game.
Letting Tracy and Skattebo lead a power-based ground attack is sure to create play-action opportunities. Tracy looks like the biggest beneficiary of this more sophisticated and efficient run-pass balance, but the Giants also have other skill players who can thrive off screen passes.
Players like athletic, roving tight end Isaiah Likely, who’s tipped to emulate what an 11-time Pro Bowler achieved in Nagy’s scheme. Meanwhile, a Nagy favorite among the wide receivers is a speedster with game-breaking, run-and-catch capabilities.
Nagy’s system can make the short pass an ideal complement for the rugged running game favored by head coach John Harbaugh and veteran offensive consultant Greg Roman. Both aspects are good news for Tracy ensuring he still has a major part to play this year.
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